(im)maturity
by AGENT Kuma-chan
Summary: A sleepover was a must-have experience, Stella informed Chise and Alice. A. Must. Have.


**Title:** (im)maturity

 **Character/Pairing:** Chise, Alice, Stella, Silky

 **A/N:** written for the TÍR NA NÓG zine, it's been a while since I've written a fluff piece so this was fun

 **Summary:** _A sleepover was a must-have experience, Stella informed her._

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"Here."

Chise blinked at the assorted flowers thrust into her face. She could recognize a few—dandelion, crab apple, clover—but most were unknown to her. Gingerly, she took the bouquet before looking up questioningly at Alice.

"I heard you bring gifts when you visit," Alice muttered, running a hand through her hair nervously. "These are good for magic, or so I was told."

"Oh." Chise looked back at the flowers. Maybe Elias would know what to do with them. For all her reading and practice, she still couldn't remember what plant to use, or when. It didn't help Elias had burned all her notes before she could memorize them.

Alice shifted her weight from one leg to the other uncertainly as the silence grew. Clearing her throat, she added, "I didn't know what else to bring. I've … I've never given a friend a gift before."

"No, that's not—it's fine." Flustered, Chise shook her hands quickly. "Thank you, it's great."

Alice grinned. Behind her a chilly wind blew; it was still cold for November. They stood there awkwardly in the doorway for a moment, rubbing their arms, before Chise hurriedly took a step back. "Come in."

Ducking her head slightly, Alice stepped into the house. "Thanks for inviting me."

"Thanks for coming." Chise stood aside, giving Alice room to take off her coat. Elias's entranceway was much larger than the ones she was used to in Japan but the assorted plants he liked to keep made it feel just as small. She held her hand out. "Here, let me hang it."

"Are you friends or business partners?" Stella poked her head into the hallway. From Chise's shadow, Ruth hummed his agreement and she resisted the urge to tell him to shut up. "Do you talk to each other like that all the time?"

"…no." The lie was clear on her face and Stella frowned.

"You're a terrible liar." She snorted. "And _I'm_ supposed to be the most immature here."

"Immature?" Alice looked at Chise curiously and she quickly shook her head. There was no way she was going to get into that, especially when Stella even acted like she was their age. "What's that smell? It's good."

"Really?" Stella's expression brightened and she almost danced on the spot. "I'm baking some cookies. You don't have any allergies, right?"

"No." Alice smiled, bemused.

"Good. I'll bring them up when they're done." Noticing the flowers in Chise's hands, she stepped forward to smell them. "They're so sweet! Though not very pretty."

"They're more for magic than looks," Alice explained, her expression dropping a notch. She shifted her weight again, one foot to the other as Stella stared at the bouquet. "Maybe I should have gotten something else."

"Ohhhh, you can use these for magic?" Instantly interested, Stella re-examined the flowers. "I didn't know that. I thought dandelions were just weeds."

"Yeah, most people don't think much of them but they're really useful." Alice gnawed her lip, deep in thought. After a few minutes, she rubbed her head and hesitantly added, "I don't know much about magic, but I can tell you some alchemical properties if you want."

"Really?" Stella beamed blindingly at the older girl. She quickly hugged Alice. "Thank you!" Turning around, she took the flowers from Chise before she could react. "I'll put this in water so they won't wilt."

They watched as she retreated to the kitchen, humming the entire time. Alice waited till she was gone to bend over and whisper furtively, "This is your house, not hers, right?"

Chise nodded.

"And she's younger than us, with no magic experience?"

Another nod. Still looking perplexed, Alice straightened up and took off her shoes, entering the house proper. Shrugging, she gestured for Chise to lead the way. It was weird but not as uncomfortable as it was the first time she brought someone over. If anything, she felt a strange sense of excitement as she headed to her room.

Unlike Stella, there were no comments and gasps of dismay at the plainness of her room. Instead Alice merely gave a cursory glance at everything.

"Your room is messier than I expected," she observed offhandedly.

"Stella wanted to reorganize it a bit. She said I didn't make enough room for the sleepover." Chise looked around her room—her bed was shoved to one corner, the desk to the other. On the open floor between the two, there were several blankets and comforters.

Alice gingerly sat on the make-shift mattress. "A sleepover, huh?"

"That's what she called it." Chise looked down. It was a funny term, used by her relatives, used by others. And now here she was, having one.

How things had changed.

"I've never had one before." Alice smiled shyly, her fingers tapping on the blue blankets with excitement.

"Me neither." Chise returned the smile. It was nice to have a friend who understood her, who had gone through similar things. For all of Stella's initiatives, it was Alice who made her most comfortable. "She said that we had to 'experience it at least once in our lives. While we're still young.'"

"With the way she acts and speaks, are you sure she's younger than us?" Alice lay down on the blankets, looking up at Chise. "I don't think I was that put together when I was her age."

"I don't think I've ever been that mature." Chise muttered, lying down beside her. If she turned her head slightly, she could see Alice. Vaguely, she could recall another life, another body next to her—the small head of a boy, the large hands of her mother.

But that was not her life, not her family.

Alice bumped their shoulders and this, this was more real than any half-remembered dream.

"Actually, you're right. I don't think I ever _will_ be that mature." Alice snorted. "Are you sure you saved her?"

"I think I did. Probably. But maybe it was the other way around." Before Alice could respond, there was the sound of footsteps racing down the hall. Chise sat up just in time for the door to fly open.

"Here are the cookies!" Stella stepped into the room holding a platter of baked treats. The smell hit Chise like a wall. She set them down and then gestured behind her. Tentatively, Silky stepped in the room, looking like she was ready to bolt. Having none of it, Stella pulled her closer. "Come on, sit down."

"Silky?" Chise looked back and forth between the pair.

"I invited her." Stella smiled brightly as she crossed the room to Chise's desk, reaching down for the backpack sitting there. After rummaging through it for a few minutes, she triumphantly pulled out a bottle of glittering silver nail polish. "I've got the perfect colour for her."

Chise stared at the nail polish, not quite comprehending what it implied.

"Do you have other colours?" Alice asked and it was she had at least _some_ idea of what was about to happen.

"Yeah." Stella pulled out several more bottles from her bag, lining them up on the floor. "Red, orange, purple—I got a bunch because I wasn't sure what colours would suit you."

"I see." Chise did not see in the lightest. She was the only one, too.

If Silky looked ready to run before, seeing the bottles changed thought into action. Getting up, she almost made it to the door before Stella latched onto her arm and dragged her back down. "No, no, you're joining us."

There was a desperate shake of her head, her hands trying to convey exactly why Silky had to leave. For all of her effort, Stella deftly brushed it all aside with a simple, "That can wait. Now give me your hands."

Silky promptly sat on them but Stella managed to pry one out. "I. Said. Give. Me. A. Hand."

She could only watch as the spectacle unfolded. Leaning close, Alice whispered, "Ok, so I guess she isn't actually older than us."

Chise laughed.

Then Stella turned her predator's smile to her and she suddenly understood Silky's fear.


End file.
